Hotel Ladd (23 page)

“
Don’t you think you’re
going a little too far?”

“
Too far? Do you know he was
messing around with that Jillian woman and Casey caught him? Did it
right in front of her.”

The revelation cut Cal at
the knees. “
Troy?
”

“
Yes. And now he’s
drinking?” Annie locked her arms over her chest. “Casey is better
off without him. She’s at a sensitive point in her life and he’s no
good for her. Trash, is what Troy Parker is and I intend to keep
him as far away as possible. For good.”

Cal dragged a hand through his hair,
his mind sifting through the new information. In the weeks that
he’d known and worked with Troy, he’d seen a fine young rancher in
the making. Troy had a wild streak a country acre wide, but he was
solid when it came to horses. He knew his stuff forward and
backward. The animals were an extension of him. His Daddy didn’t
have a better ranch hand, and if it were up to Cal, he would have
given the boy a second chance. He paused on the female angle, more
than a little stumped. “I don’t know about this Jillian business,
but I can tell you the boy’s not trash. He’s made of solid material
and has a bright future ahead of him.”

“
Not drunk, he
doesn’t.”

While Cal couldn’t disagree with her
there, he believed people needed space and time to work through
their issues. They needed to grow and develop. Mature. Particularly
a strong-minded proud boy like Troy.

“
Troy will never amount to
anything, and I won’t stand by and let him ruin Casey’s life right
along with his own.”

Cal stepped forward. “Now
c’mon, don’t get
sideways
on me. He was drunk. One time. It doesn’t mean
he’s going to make a career out of it.”

Anger broiled in her eyes. For a second
Cal feared she might lash out and strike him. “This isn’t his first
time and I doubt it will be his last. Mark my word.” She jabbed a
finger toward him. “Troy Parker will get drunk again and who knows
what kind of trouble he’ll cause.”

In the sweep of the moment, Cal
realized what his ex-wife must have gone through all those years
ago. Getting drunk did cause trouble. It undermined the trust and
confidence of those around you. No matter how hard you tried to
rationalize or explain your way out of it, drinking hurt the ones
you loved. Looking into Annie’s eyes and struggling heart, Cal
realized forgiveness was a hard battle to win. “He’s just lost his
way is all. Today isn’t the rest of his life. He can be better than
this, just give him a chance.”

“
He’s going nowhere fast and
taking Casey with him.” Annie stopped, the light catching her face
in a twist of revulsion. “Have you forgotten what I told you about
Casey? That she is susceptible—vulnerable?”

“
No. I haven’t. And it’s for
her sake that you’ve got to keep it together. Casey loves Troy.
This setback will hurt, but you’ve got to help her through
it.”

Annie glared at him, contempt hardening
her gaze, sharpening her edge. She was stressed, worn out, wielding
a sword he wasn’t accustomed to being on the wrong end of. “I’m
sick and tired of people lecturing me about how to raise my
daughter. I’m the one who’s been taking care of her, watching over
her. She’s young, impressionable. She doesn’t know what love is.
She only knows emotion—emotion that drives her to make poor
choices. And I’d call drinking more than setback. Alcohol and drugs
destroy lives, Cal. They almost killed Casey and until you’ve
walked a day in my shoes, you have no idea what I’m going
through.”

“
I understand more than you
know.” From
both
sides of the equation. Caroline left him because of his
drinking. His daughter Emily disowned him because of his drinking.
His drinking nearly cost him his life and the life of
another.

Cal bowed his head. It was a
wound that bled every day, a scar that dug deep under his skin. But
he was different now. He was sober almost eleven months, and he was
going to prove to Emily that he was worth a second chance. Her
mother might be a lost cause, already taken up with a new man, but
his daughter
couldn’t
be. Losing her would be like losing a chunk of his
heart.

Cal raised his head and faced Annie
directly. If he could do it, so could Troy. “People can change,
Annie. All they need is someone to believe in them.”

Annie lapsed into silence. She didn’t
share his opinion. She believed Troy was all he was ever going to
be. Cal hated the wall rising between them. It was thick and heavy.
Impenetrable.

“
I think you should
leave.”

The quiet dismissal cut like a knife.
Haunted by memories of another woman uttering those exact words,
Cal hesitated. At some point Annie would have to know what he’d
been through and where he was going in order to understand him, to
love him. If they were going to have a future together, she’d have
to know. She deserved a man with no secrets. Once everything was on
the table, she could make her decision from there. But now was not
that time. The icy flecks in her cold blue eyes warned she was not
in a listening mood. “I’ll go.” Heart splintering, Cal turned,
holding her in his gaze. “But you haven’t heard the last from me on
this subject.”

Chapter Nineteen

Troy sat in his truck and waited
outside the diner for Casey to finish her shift. The last customer
had left almost an hour ago, which meant Casey wouldn’t be long
now. Staring through the diner’s windows, he searched for sight of
her. Fran was hard to miss, running in and out of the kitchen,
around the restaurant as employees swept and mopped. Casey might be
sitting down, rolling silverware for tomorrow’s service. She might
be cashing out. Troy helped her close a couple of nights so he knew
what to expect. Green numbers glowed on his
dashboard—nine-thirty—he figured she should be walking out any
minute.

Since he was parked next to her car,
she would have no choice but to face him. Troy didn’t expect her to
be happy to see him. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried another way.
He’d called her cell phone but she didn’t pick up. He drove by her
house but realized her momma probably wouldn’t let him anywhere
near her. Once she heard why he was fired, Miss Annie would
barricade the doors and windows.

He didn’t blame her. Casey’s
overdose would make any mother fear her daughter’s involvement with
him. He didn’t blame Casey, either. She’d been hurt by what she
saw.
I don’t love you. I hate you, Troy. I
never want to see you again.

But she couldn’t mean it. She was mad,
hurt. She couldn’t stick to it, could she?

Troy hoped not. He loved her. He really
did and he’d never let that Jillian woman ruin the best thing he
had going. He’d already lost the second best thing he had going.
Shame dribbled into his chest as he recalled the disappointment in
Mr. Foster’s eyes. Showing up to work with a hangover had been the
stupidest thing he could have done. Troy knew the rules. He should
have called in sick. Most days he worked on his own, a distance
from the house. How was he supposed to know Mr. Foster was going to
show up?

He showed up because Cal
told him what a fine job Troy did with the foal. Mr. Foster had
come to thank him. He had come to show his appreciation, but before
he said the first word, he knew. The old man could smell Troy from
ten feet away.
You’re
fired
. Troy’s gut wrenched at the memory.
Quick, to the point, no questions asked. The evidence
undeniable.

Drinking a fifth of whiskey will do
that to a guy. The sweet liquor doesn’t stay in your stomach but
sinks into your skin. You can’t wash it away. It has to work itself
out and that takes time. Troy understood the man did what he had to
do. The rules had been stated up front. Drinking wasn’t tolerated.
From what Troy had heard, Mr. Foster’s sons drank enough to fill
the rivers of Tennessee. They’d been wild as stallions giving the
old man his fill. His was zero tolerance.

A policy he was going to adopt.
Gritting his teeth, Troy stared into the diner. He was finished. No
more alcohol. No whiskey, no beer, he was done with it all.
Zero.

Two dark-coated figures crossed the
front windows. Troy’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes glued to the
smaller one as Jimmy Sweeney pushed out through the front door,
stepping aside for Casey to pass. Jimmy put his arm around Casey
and led her across the deserted parking lot, their path lit by a
yellowed streetlight. Troy’s heart squeezed. They walked toward him
at a pretty good clip. His breathing grew shallow. Would Casey make
a scene? Would Jimmy?

Troy waited. The red neon
light atop the diner went dark. Seconds later, the interior lights
went out. Only the night remained between them. Pinned to his seat,
Troy couldn’t move. Twenty feet away Casey slowed. Through the
darkness, they made eye contact. Troy’s heart fell. As expected,
she was
not
happy
to see him.

Jimmy caught on and stilled. A skinny
dude, Troy could take him without thinking. If Jimmy tried to stop
him from talking to Casey, Troy would lay him out. Flat. Casey
picked up her step and Troy pushed out his through his door. Limbs
shaky, he hung by his truck. “Casey.”

Familiar blue eyes drilled into him.
“What are you doing here?”

Troy’s pulse kicked into his throat.
“We need to talk.”

“
I have nothing to say to
you.”

Jimmy withdrew his arm from her
shoulders.

“
I need five minutes,” Troy
said.

“
No.”

“
Five minutes, Casey. No
matter what you think I’ve done, we’re worth that much, aren’t we?”
He could see her wavering.

“
Want me to wait?” Jimmy
asked her.

She glanced up at him and
Troy’s heart thumped wildly. Casey was his woman! His temper fired
hot but he extinguished it. Stop. Wait. “Give me five minutes,” he
pleaded. “Five minutes and then I’ll leave if you want. I’ll do
whatever you say, but I need five minutes.
Alone
.”

After a few agonizing seconds, Casey
nodded.

Jimmy hovered close and Troy
wanted to belt him one.
You heard
her
, he wanted to growl. She wants to talk
to me.

“
I’ll see you tomorrow,”
Jimmy told her, the concerned look in his eyes grating on Troy. Dad
gum—it wasn’t like she should be afraid of him!

Preoccupied with Troy, Casey mumbled,
“Okay.”

Training his gaze on Troy, Jimmy walked
to his car four spaces over.

Go on, Troy thought. She’s
safe with me. Waiting until Jimmy was inside his car, Troy turned
his focus to Casey. The hurt in her eyes broke his heart. It was
fresh and raw. He’d done that to her. Well,
he
didn’t. That Jillian woman did.
“Casey,” he began, not sure how to proceed. Flicking a glance to
Jimmy’s departing car, he breathed easier. At least they were
alone. He could talk freely. “There was nothing going on between
that woman and me. She was only trying to make trouble. Ask
Delaney, she’ll tell you. She’s been tryin’ to cause trouble for
everyone.”

Casey was listening but made no outward
attempt to confirm the same.

“
I lost my job today,” he
confessed. Tears swam into her lids at his revelation. He failed
her. But he had to come clean, she’d find out anyway. “After you
left me, I got drunk. Really drunk.” Pity stirred in her eyes,
angering him, but he continued, “Mr. Foster came to the stables and
when he smelled alcohol on me, he fired me on the spot.” Casey
remained fixed in place, rigid, unyielding. Other than her tears,
she appeared cold, uncaring. “I’m not complaining or anything,” he
continued, “I know I did wrong. But it happened.”

Casey didn’t respond. She simply
stared.

“
Dad gum, Casey. Say
something.”

“
What do you want from
me?”

“
I want to be with
you.”

“
Why?”

“
What are you talking about?
Because I love you, that’s why. You believe in me.” Realizing that
made her sound like a fool, he quickly added, “And I messed up. I
messed up big time but I won’t again.” Casey crossed arms with an
exasperated shrug. A tear fell and she glanced away, but Troy felt
her opening to him. “I swear I won’t. I’ve quit drinking. That
Jillian woman don’t mean anything to me. You do.” He stepped toward
her. “I love you and I want to be with you. Don’t you want to be
with me?”

“
I don’t know what to
do.”

“
Be with me.” She turned to
him and a round of tears broke free. “I need you, Casey. I’m gonna
quit drinking. I’ll get another job. But I need you with me.” Casey
wasn’t running away. She was listening, clearly thinking it over.
“If you’re not with me,” he said, “none of it will be good. I’ll
hate my life.”

Her body slackened and Troy knew he had
won. This time. Pulling her to him, he inhaled the scent of her, a
mix of fry oil and shampoo. There were no arms sliding around his
waist. No smile or sweet words. Troy didn’t kid himself. He was on
fragile ground. Casey stayed put, but this might be his last
chance.